A large global energy company dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure and renewable energy recently hired a new regional leader for North America. The challenge this new leader faced was to not only integrate as he was an expatriate from Europe, but also develop the cohesiveness of his existing and veteran executive leadership team as they address demanding growth plans for the next 3-5 year.
This executive team was under pressure to build and operate five new wind/solar farms in the calendar year. This challenge created levels of anxiety and conflict within the team including transparency in communication and the ability to address conflict resolution.
This executive team needed to increase their ability to effectively collaborate and shift their focus on making decisions for the good of the company versus the success of their individual functions. There was also several relationships within the team that needed to be rebuilt based on past experiences.
The Solution
The executive team had a reputation for being demanding and direct. Work with this leadership team needed to be viewed as value-added as time is important with the high demands. The ability of the executive leadership team to work as “one team” would set the tone of the organization. LAK Group developed a solution that would specifically work to strengthen the relationship of team members, while improving their ability to make decisions as a system and address conflict directly as it develops. Desired outcomes included the following.
- Achieve the level of high-performing executive team focused on one collective organization.
- Strengthen relationships and anchor trust with all members of the executive team.
- Enable the executive team to understand and leverage the strengths of all team members.
- Establish an environment of open dialogue, transparent feedback, and the ability to manage conflict.
We designed an experience that started with an assessment to identify the effectiveness of the team, including strengths and opportunities. This helped us define the current state of the team and the gaps for which they would need focused development.
The experience included multiple workshops with the executive leadership team with a specific focus on tools and solutions that helped with gaining an understanding of each other, their communication style and conflict mode. Then we transitioned into practical and applicable situations to help the team set standards and expectations around how each leader should engage with other members of the team.
We also integrated individual and group coaching into the process to adapt the learning experiences to the needs of each member of the executive team. The entire process lasted approximately 4 months. To measure progress, we implemented a follow-up team effectiveness assessment six months after completion of the learning journey.
The Impact
After the first few months of working with the senior executive leadership team, they experienced the following outcomes that are still occurring today.
- Improved Team Dynamics: Assessment scores on our High Performing Teams Assessment improved by over 24% driven by increases in performance focused on trust, collaboration, conflict, accountability, and alignment on results.
- Increased Engagement: Productivity of employees improved by nearly 9% and engagement scores improved by over 14% with turnover dropping below 10% for the first time in years.
- Operational Alignment: The senior team implemented and shared a cascading goal alignment process that has led to a system-focus on goals and more collaboration across functions.
Our executive team process at LAK Group helps senior team align around one common goal while strengthening the relations and decision making of the team.
For more information, contact LAK Group to help develop the capabilities and mindset of leaders to become high-performing teams.